Question NW3674 to the Minister of Health
16 November 2023 - NW3674
Clarke, Ms M to ask the Minister of Health
(a) What amount of the additional allocation of R68.2 billion to the education and health sectors will be received by his department in order to fund the 7,5% public sector wage increase for all persons employed in his department and (b) how will he balance the books with an austerity budget in order to fill the more than 18 000 vacancies and ensure that healthcare services continue to be delivered to overcome the significant challenges of the public health system?
Reply:
a) Medium Term Budget Policy Statement indicates R17,5 billion to be allocation to Health and Education for the wage bill increase. Based on the discussions with National Treasury officials a preliminary allocation of around R6.8 billion might be allocated to health sector. The final budget allocation to cover the public sector wage increase will be confirmed at the later stage.
b) The department will identify the critical post which will be prioritized for recruitment once the allocation has been confirmed. The budget allocation will cover the shortfall resulted by public wage increase not for additional posts. Provinces annually appoint Employment Recruitment Teams lead by Heads of Health Departments or delegated officials at senior positions to develop recruitment plans prioritizing the filling of critical posts with a required skills mix to address the burden of diseases at all our levels of care guarding against overspending on provided/available budgets.
END.